Thomas Wolfe Can't Get You Lower Level Seats

The one game I get to attend this entire year, and I miss almost half of it, thanks to the Park and Wait and Stand in the Rain and Finally Ride 45 Minutes Later system. By the time I set foot in the Dean Dome, UNC had a nailbiting 47-11 lead over UNC-Ashville. So if you're looking for scintillating game commentary, this is probably not the place to turn.

It was good to make it back. No matter how many screens and LED displays are added, it's still a place I walk into and immediately recognize folks I went to school with. The crowd was relaxed and jovial - a large margin of victory will bring that out - cheering for Asheville's half court buzzer beater at halftime, and overencouraging the rarely seen backups to shoot. And the campaign to get folks to wear more Carolina Blue has made great strides to bring out that many team colors for an uneventful Winter Break game.

The basketball itself was relatively sloppy, but with a thirty-plus point lead that's to be expected. I'm continually impressed by Hansbrough, Frasor, and Ginyard. (I hadn't realized just how incredibly fast Ginyard is - it's impressive to watch.) As for Terry, well, the guy who did so well at Kentucky had left the building by the time I arrived. There still doesn't seem to be anyone who can step up and hit a three, but when the biggest guy on the floor ends up with eight steals there's not much to complain about.

Of course, the crotchety old man in me hates the Wachovia ads, the less than stellar attempts to pump the crowd with audio clips (The interminable rocket launch sequence before showing one David Noel dunk? That needs to stop. Mia Hamm's celebratory whoop over last year's national championship brings the comedy, though.), and the fact that the pep band sounded awful, but hey, it was good to be back. Although it'd be better with more buses.